15. Hellhound on My Trail - Robert Johnson

"I got to keep movin'", Johnson sings in the opening lyrics of Hellhound on My Trail, and move he did. Reports say that he spent the last years of his life traveling around the southern delta, strumming the blues wherever he rambled before poisoned whiskey allegedly took his life one evening in 1938-- just one year after recording this tune. Robert Johnson's influence on modern music is unquestionable. From the 1960s rock stars he inspired to his induction in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Johnson left a posthumous legacy that few have matched. It's a shame he never saw such fame or fortune during his lifetime.

I wanted to share an episode of NPR's Radiolab that discusses the Johnson myth and tries to undercover some truth behind the legend. It's a great listen and it fleshes out much of the Johnson story that I do not discuss in this blog. This song was also featured in NPR's 100 best songs of the 20th century.

Hellhound on my Trail seems like an autobiographical piece by the nomadic Robert Johnson; and his mastery of the blues is once again quite evident in this song. I still prefer his Cross Road Blues tune a bit more, but I enjoy almost all of the 29 songs that survive by this blues legend. This delta blues classic gets a well-deserved "Worth Hearing" seal.

Click the seal below to listen to the Robert Johnson's Hellhound on My Trail.

Worth Hearing

14. Cross Road Blues - Robert Johnson

One lonely dark Mississippi night, a young Robert Johnson took his guitar to a crossroads near Clarksdale and began playing a tune. Around midnight, as Johnson was strumming his instrument, he was approached by none other than the devil, himself. The melodic demon took Johnson's guitar, tuned it, and began to play a few songs. When the guitar was returned to Robert Johnson, he became a master blues musician--all for the price of his soul.

I cannot think of anyone in music who fits the word "legend" quite like Robert Johnson. His backstory is as much myth as it is fact. Did he sell his soul to the devil at the crossroads on a lonely Mississippi night? Was he actually poisoned to death by a lover's jealous husband? Where was he buried? Johnson died at the young age of 27, and never saw fame or fortune. It wasn't until the 1960s--when his music was re-released on vinyl--that his fame and legacy began to take shape. Musicians at the time such as Eric Clapton, Brian Jones, and Jimmy Page discovered his music and became enthralled with his sound. This particular tune was made famous because of Eric Clapton's electric version of it from the 1960s.

Knowing the myth, there is something eerie about hearing Johnson sing about the crossroads; even though the song has nothing to do with that fateful night in which he was diabolically imbued with musical talent. Johnson's sound would eventually help shape modern rock and roll, and it is easy to see the roots of rock in Cross Road Blues. Robert Johnson's legacy and history are fascinating, which makes me appreciate his music and this tune all the more. It is more than deserving of my 3rd Doc's Gold Seal of Approval.

Click the seal below to listen to the Robert Johnson's Cross Road Blues.

Doc's Gold Seal of Approval

13. Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By) - The Carter Family

"The First Family of Country Music" laments their way onto the list with the mournful Can the Circle be Unbroken. The Carter Family would go through many members over the group's lifetime (including Johnny Cash's wife, June Carter). However, when this song was performed in 1935 the group was comprised of its original members-- A.P. Carter, his wife Sarah Carter, and his sister-in-law Maybelle Addington Carter.

The Appalachian farming family helped lay the foundation of country music, and this sorrowful melody about a mother's funeral speaks to the hardships and loss that were so prevalent in the Depression Era. Throughout the song, one can hear Maybelle's signature melodic guitar style that would help define not only the group, but also a whole generation of music. Can the Circle Be Unbroken is a haunting and memorable tune that has earned itself a "Worth Hearing" seal.

Click the seal below to listen to the Carter Family's Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By).

Worth Hearing

12. Hula Girl - Sol Hoopii

Hula Girl brings about visions of laying on a sunny beach in the south Pacific with a fruity umbrella-dressed cocktail in hand. What makes this melody so distinctly Hawaiian is the Ki oh'alu or slack-key guitar style. According to the book this typically involves placing an open-tuned guitar across one's lap and sliding a steel instrument across the strings.

Sol Hoopii is often considered one of the best slack-key guitarists of his generation, and his undeniable skill is on full display with this Hawaiian-style tune. Hoopii was so famous for his mastery of the instrument that he was mistakenly credited with inventing the steel guitar (which actually came about around the end of the 19th century). The song is jazzy, upbeat, fun, and is a great representation of a genre of music that gained American popularity around World War I; but Sol Hoopii mastered in the 1920s and 1930s. I shall emphatically award it with my Worth Hearing seal.

Click the seal below to listen to Sol Hoopii's Hula Girl.

Worth Hearing

11. Mal Hombre - Lydia Mendoza

Lydia Mendoza or "The Lark of the Border" as she was later known, recorded "Mal Hombre" just before her eighteenth birthday with a lyric she found on a bubble gum wrapper ( according to the book). The success of this song brought Mendoza from playing at street corners and restaurants--making barely enough money for food-- to an icon of Mexican-American music. The success of the Texas-born songstress launched a surge of similar recordings in the 1930s and 1940s.

Equipped with her twelve string guitar, Lydia intones Mal Hombre, or "Bad Man", with a passion and maturity that belies her young age. The simplistic song about a chauvinistic man abusing women didn't impress me at first listen, but I eventually warmed up to it and don it with my "worth hearing" seal.

Click the seal below to listen to Lydia Mendoza's Mal Hombre.

Worth Hearing

10. Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? - Bing Crosby

Here is a song that sums up the uncertainty, betrayal, and hopelessness felt by many of the 1930's depression era. It's the harrowing anthem of thousands of blue collar laborers and World War I vets whose toil and sweat helped to shape the industrialized nation, and who were now reduced to standing in line, dispiritedly waiting for a loaf of bread.

Bing Crosby, one the most successful entertainers of the twentieth century, lends his voice to this particular version. His interpretation is brilliant. As the song progresses, one can hear the desperate strain in his voice as he pleads, "Buddy, can you spare a dime." His rendition was one of the most popular of that era. It's a very poignant tune that speaks to an entire generation of impoverished Americans, and I highly recommend it to, not only music fans, but also history buffs.

Click the seal below to listen to Bing Crosby's Brother Can You Spare a Dime?.

Worth Hearing

9. Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl - Bessie Smith

Oh those sultry, steamy, sensual dirty blues. How many innuendos can Bessie Smith place into one suggestive song without being brutally obvious? She is certainly not wanting sugar in the "crystalline sweet" sense, and with lyrics that state she "needs a little hot dog between her rolls", the insinuation is anything but subtle. (According to the 1001 songs book, it was the dirty Blues that gave birth to the euphemism of Rock & Roll, the name for a genre that the book calls the "illegitimate child of the blues")

Accompanied by nothing more than a piano, it's Bessie Smith's passionate and bellowing voice that stands front and center in this lascivious song of desire. It's an interesting melody, and a perfect example of the dirty blues genre, but I did not enjoy it as much as I did her "St. Louis Blues" ( the other tune of hers to make the list). I will give it a reluctant worth hearing, for the simple fact all the sexual innuendos are quite amusing.

Click the seal below to listen to Bessie Smith's Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl.

Worth Hearing

8. Minnie the Moocher - Cab Calloway and His Orchestra

Cab Calloway was the sultan of smooth during his heyday in the 1930s.  And his mastery of the nonsensical singing known as "scatting" helped to seal his legacy in music history. "Hi-De-Hi-De-Hi-De-Ho" is the anthem oft repeated throughout his popular tune, Minnie the Moocher. Several drug references are also made in the song from cocaine to opium (kicking the gong around).

Minnie was wildly popular upon it's release in 1931. It has since been referenced/played in everything from The Marx Brothers ("You're willing to pay him a thousand dollars a night just for singing? Why, you can get a phonograph record of 'Minnie the Moocher' for 75 cents. And for a buck and a quarter, you can get Minnie.") to Betty Boop  and the Blues Brothers.

This song was alot of fun to listen to and gets stuck in one's head easily. I personally love it and don it with my second "Gold Seal".

Click the seal below to listen to Cab Calloway's Minnie the Moocher.

Doc's Gold Seal of Approval

7. El Manisero - Don Azpiazú & His Casino Music Orchestra

El Manisero or "The Peanut Vendor" was a Cuban-style song based off the cry of the salty snack-selling street salesman. The upbeat tune is one of the most popular in all of Cuban music(having over 160 recorded versions).

This particular version of the the Peaunut Vendor's anthem, played by Don Azpiazú & His Casino Music Orchestra, was not the first recorded, but it is the most popular. Don Azpiazu's rendition, recorded in 1930, helped invent a lively Latin-style music & dance craze known as the rumba.

I find this ode to the peanut profiteer to have an upbeat tempo and swing-inducing style that I prefer much more than Lagrimas Negras, the earlier Cuban tune in the 1001 list.

Click the seal below to listen to Don Azpiazú & His Casino Music Orchestra's El Manisero.

Worth Hearing

6. St. James Infirmary Blues - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five

St. James Infirmary Blues is a derivation of an old 18th century English folk song about a boy who dies from a venereal disease contracted from a prostitute. The modern version is much less lubricious; it tells the tale of a man visiting St. James Infirmary and finding his girl dead.

Louis Armstrong was on his way to becoming the legend he is today when he and his "Hot Five" recorded this lament in 1930. He worked his way from the back to be recording under his own name with his hot five. The book, 1001 Songs You Must Hear, likens the intro of St. James Infirmary to a funeral instrumental, an analogy I find appropriate, although it is more comparable to the famous New Orleans funeral marches that Armstrong must have witnessed while growing up in the impoverished streets of the Southern port-town.

This song is brilliant. And while I prefer the 1950s recording Louis did of this tune, the version the book recommends is worth listening to for the involvement of Armstrong's Hot Five, and the slightly more uptempo rhythm that they give the song. It is certainly a classic. I found myself replaying the song perpetually as I wrote this blog. Definitely deserves the seal.

Click the seal below to listen to Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five's St. James Infirmary Blues.

Doc's Gold Seal of Approval

5. Pokarekare - Ana Hato( with Deane Weartini)

This simple love song, written in the Maori language, is extremely important to New Zealanders( and even Aussies). Considered to be New Zealand's unofficial National Anthem, the heartfelt melody has permeated their culture- appearing in everything from television ads to the 2000 Olympic games.

The song was initially written around 1914, but this particular version, done by Ana Hato and Deane Weartini in 1929, is the first known to be recorded. This is definitely a must hear for those living "Down Under", but since I am an ignorant American I have trouble really appreciating this piece of music history.

Click the seal below to listen to Ana Hato's Pokarekare.

Not Impressed

4. Lágrimas Negras - Trio Matamoros

Another entry and another recorded first. Lagrimas Negras, Spanish for "Black Tears", is the first of a Cuban genre of music known as bolero-son(a rhythmic-dance style sound much like "The Rumba"). It was written by Trio Matamoros' guitarist, founder, and writer of all the group's music- Miguel Matamoros. He claimed that the idea for the song arose when he heard a woman crying near his place in Santo Domingo.

Since the original recording in 1928, the genre-defining Cuban sensation has been covered by many Latin artists and has certainly had its influence on Cuban music, but I had trouble feeling swept away by the beat. Fans of Latin or Cuban music may cry foul, but it was simply not my cup of tea.

Click the seal below to listen to Trio Matamoros' Lágrimas Negras.

Not Impressed

3. Allons à Lafayette - Joseph & Cléoma Falcon

The first Cajun song officially recorded. This accordion-laced upbeat slice of the Bayou helped bring to life an entire genre of gator-wresltin' and gumbo-guzzlin' music. The duo is comprised of accordion player, Joesph Falcon, and his guitar-strumming wife, Cleoma. The two were raised in poor Louisiana towns and grew up to help pioneer a genre that has greatly influenced Southern music.

The song is about a man asking his partner to travel to Lafayette in order to get her name changed into the comical Mrs. Mischievous Comeaux, citing that her beauty belies her character.

Although I was not tremendously impressed, I did find the simple tune to be quite catchy. For that and the fact that it helped to create a new genre of music, I will say it is worth hearing.

Click the seal below to listen to Joseph & Cléoma Falcon's Allons à Lafayette.

Worth Hearing

2. St. Louis Blues - Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith, one of the most popular and talented blues singers of all time, paired with a very young Louis Armstrong on cornet, sings what is considered to be one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song. I don't think there is any question as to why this tune found its way onto the list. This version of the song has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

"I hate to see the evening sun go down" Smith belts out at the start of this emotional lament of heart break. (Bessie Smith's own story is one of sorrow, dying in a car accident at the young age of 33 near Clarksdale, Mississippi). William Christopher Handy, the song's original creator, claims that he was inspired to write the song after a St. Louis woman mourned to him about her husband disappearing and leaving her.

I can recommend this classic as one worth hearing for Bessie's brilliant voice alone...Armstrong's cornet playing is simply icing on the cake.

Click the seal below to listen to Bessie Smith's St. Louis Blues.

Worth Hearing

1. 'O Sole Mio - Enrico Caruso

So, the first serving that this book has to offer is sung by the opera giant, Enrico Caruso. He belted out this particular recording in 1916. Caruso was about as famous as an opera star can get around the turn of the Twentieth century, and after listening to the song I can see why...the command that he has over his vocal range is quite remarkable.

'O Sole Mio, also known as "Neapolitan Song", was written originally in 1898. The operatic tune is generally sung in the Neapolitan language, (the language in which Caruso sings it in this particular recording) although two English renditions of the song have been scribed throughout the years. The second of which was written specifically at the request of Elvis Presley and is known as "It's Now or Never".

I certainly think this song is worth hearing: a legendary opera singer performing a notably popular tune from the turn of the Twentieth century.

Click the seal below to listen to Enrico Caruso's 'O Sole Mio.

Worth Hearing

Introduction

I am not, by any stretch of one's imagination, a musician. Nor am I an expert on music. I never found myself downloading thousands of songs or memorizing names of obscure band members and dreaming about "rocking out" with them on stage. I have no pressing desire to learn an instrument (except the triangle perhaps). Hell, I couldn't even tell you the difference between a C and a D note.

 Don't get me wrong, I certainly enjoy listening to the stuff (I mean who doesn't?). I am aware of most of the major bands and artists throughout the Twentieth Century, and  my tastes encompass many genres: everything from pop to punk, blues to big band, Sabbath to Sinatra. My involvement in the musical arts have just always been as a more detached and casual observer.



So, Why Create a Blog About 1001 "Must Hear Songs"?

Because I am hoping that this list will help to fill some of the gap in my knowledge of  musical pop culture. It is my goal to discover new bands and learn new facts and stories about the individuals who created the songs on the list.

I am a historian at heart, and pop-culture/entertainment history is the area I enjoy studying the most.
Essentially, I want to create this blog in order to share/catalog my thoughts on, not only the music, but also on those who made the songs and why they made them. Music is a powerful tool that can encapsulate the thoughts, mores, and emotions of an entire generation in just a few melodic chords. I plan on understanding the historical influences these tunes had on the music world and on culture as a whole. So, sit back and enjoy this rhythmic romp through time.


How It Will Be Done

• I will  try to keep each entry to a maximum length of about a short paragraph. They will hopefully be more akin to musical tweets that to full length blogs. 

• I hope to place a link to each song I listen to (if applicable).

• Rating System: Purely for my own amusement. I created four badges that will be given out based on my opinions of each song. I will try to rate the songs more on my listening enjoyment than I will for it's historical significance (although historical significance will have an influence)

Doc's Gold Seal of Approval: This badge is for the songs that I really enjoyed, and even returned to in order to listen again. A Highly Recommended Song.

 Worth Hearing: I found this song to be entertaining and enjoyable. It was either a solid representation of its genre or I found it historically interesting/significant enough to recommend.

Not Impressed: I did not find this song enjoyable or interesting. A tedious tune that I do not really recommend.

Garbage: I really did not care for this song. It was the equivalent of stabbing my eardrums with thousands of tiny needles, and about as entertaining as bathing in a grease trap.